Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-01-27
NOT TO BE MARRIED.
Sheriff MatSon Declares the Spies-Yan
Zandt Jail Marriage Off.
Miss Van Zandt Visits the Jail. but is
Not Admitted The Wedding In
definitely Postponed.

The Chicago Mail of Wednesday says:
The Spies Van Zandt marriage has been
indefinitely postponed. Sheriff Matson
has put his foot down and no one was
allowed to see Spies or any other of the
anarchists to-day. No visitors were al
lowed in the Jail between the hours of
and 10 o'clock, when the socialistic
lover and his confreres walk the corridors
Calciminers were carrying in buckets of
colored wash, and this was ostensibly the
reason for excluding callers, the reason,
as strongly suspected, being to prevent
Miss Van Zandt from seeing Spies. The
imprisoned bridegroom sent one laconic
sentence hurting through the wire net
ting. "There is nothing for me to say /;
our relations are just the same, despite
the orders os the sheriff"
Shortly before 10 o'clock Miss Spies
and Miss Van Zandt came into the Grim
inal court building passed through the
hall with the tiled floor, and were just go
inc out of the little door which leads to
the court yard, on the other side of which
is the jail, when the guard blandly stop
ped them. The ladies were astonished
and said both together:
''Why, we want to see Mr.. Spies"
'sYou can't see him this mourning"
said the suave but infexible guard,
Again the calculated in chorus. "Why
we are his relatives" and Miss Spies said:
II am his sister," to which Miss Van
Zandt added impressiyely ''and 1 am Miss
Van Zandt" with an open sesame stress
on the "I'' which ought to have started
every bolt in the building, but which did
not. They had to content themselves
with a long epistle written in pencil on a
pad loaned by one of the Criminal court
reporters. They took the note across
the courtyard, rang the bell of the jail,
and asked to see Mr.. Spies, but were told
they could not and left the following
note:
Dearest August: Gretchen and / called
to see you this morning, but "the jail was
being cleaned" and we were not admitted.
We will call again, and hope for better
success. Your NINA.
The sheriff has forbidden tt e marriage
of Spies and Miss Van Zandt. He says
that he prohibits the ceremony simply
on the ground of public decency, because
his prisoner is condemned to hang. Just
as soon, he adds, as the Supreme court,
either by ordering rehearing or by any
other move, makes it probable that his
prisoner will not be executed, he will
withdraw any opposition to the marriage
in "murderer's row." For the present,
however, and so long as there appears no
hope for Spies to escape the hangman's
moose, the sheriff announces that he will
prevent a ceremony in the jail. He does
this, he says, solely out of regard for
public policy and with regard simply for
public propriety, just as he would pre-
vent a marriage at the poorhouse among
the inmates there, or at the insane asy-
lum among the inmates there.
TN refusing to countenance the mar
riage," Sheriff Matson says. "I do not
want to set myself up as a grand moralist
or as the guardian of all foolish young
women. Neither do 1 want to aid in
making heroes and martyrs out of the
condemned anarchists, but I will not
lend myself to anything that is so man
ifestly improper as this. have consulted
with a good many persons during the last
few days and I find that public opinion
is almost unanimously against the mar
rage. 1t Is so strong, in fact that after
taking the matter over with States At |
torney Grinnell to-day I firmly resolved
that the marriage should be indefinitely |
postponed, I hope that Miss Van Zandt !
and her friends will be reconciled to wait |
and believe that my views are right, but |
whether they do Or not am confident |
that the people Of Chicago will applaud |
my course. It is not necessary to ask !
how I shall prevent it. Spies is my pri-
soner and as such is entitled only to such |
privileges as I may think proper to give
him. The only person whom [ am |
obliged to allow access to him IS his |
lawyer"
Capt. Black and the father of Miss Van !
Zandt held long interview at noon to- |
day with Sheriff Matson behind closed !
doors. What part Mr.. Van Sandt took in
the interview is not known, but it is I'M /
derstood that Capt. Black was endeavor- |
ing to persuade the sheriff to change his /
decision. "The marriage has been in |
definitely postponed" Capt. Black said, |
after the interview. "It was postponed |
by mutual agreement of all parties in |
terested in the case. That is all I have |
to say about it now"